LexisNexis Publisher Newsletter Delivery / A Guide for Editors
Introduction. Newsletter Delivery 2
POPULAR PREMIUM PERTINENT Introduction. Newsletter Delivery A high-quality newsletter has the capacity to create a strong bond between your readers and your organization. A study by the Nielsen Norman Group * showed that 69% of users look forward to receiving at least one email newsletter, and most users said a newsletter had become part of their routine. Users are drawn to email newsletters because they are informative, timely, predictable and convenient. The Newsletter feature within LexisNexis Publisher enables editors to select the best of the best from articles already deemed worthy to be published, which means that the most refined set of results can be delivered to key audiences. The most successful newsletters show an understanding of the needs and interests of the target group. Newsletters are often used to target specific sets of users, such as project groups, account teams, practice areas, departments, or executives. *Nielsen Norman Group. Email Newsletter Usability (3rd edition), Executive Summary. Web 18 Nov. 2010. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Delivery / Introduction 3
Overview. Newsletter Workflows 4
Workflow. New Newsletter Template Tab flow for creating a new newsletter template. Newsletter Landing Page Topic Selection Tab Design Tab Recipients Tab LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Workflow 5
Workflow. New Newsletter Issue Tab flow for creating a new newsletter issue. Newsletter Landing Page Article Selection Tab Layout Tab Recipients Tab Notes Tab Preview/Send Tab LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Workflow 6
Workflow. Navigation Guidelines Important guidelines for navigating the workflows 1. To navigate one page backward or forward within any workflow, click the Previous or Next buttons at the bottom of most workflow pages. Changes you ve made will be saved as long as you remain within the current workflow. 2. You may also navigate through the workflow including skipping sections by clicking directly on the workflow tabs at the top of each page. For instance, within the newsletter issue workflow, I may want to go from the Layout tab directly to Preview/Send, bypassing Recipients and Notes should I require no additions or changes on these pages. Rather that "Next-ing" through pages I don't need to review, I may click directly on the Preview/Sent tab to skip ahead. Changes you ve made will be saved as long as you remain within the current workflow. 3. If you wish to exit the current workflow you must click the Save Changes button first, otherwise changes will be lost. Exiting the workflow includes returning to the Newsletter Home screen, navigating to any area within LexisNexis Publisher not tied to the newsletter feature, or leaving Publisher altogether. Please also remember that Publisher times out after 20 minutes of inactivity, so if you re in the middle of a newsletter workflow, remember to Save Changes before heading out to lunch, or else you work will be gone when you return. Words to live by: Save early, save often. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Workflow 7
Newsletter Templates. Creation Process 8
Start. New Newsletter Template Newsletter templates define the customized look of the newsletter, the topics of interest for its target audience, and the default list of people who will receive it. LexisNexis Publisher uses the information you define in this newsletter template to build each newsletter issue. Select radio button to the left of New Newsletter Template. Type newsletter name. Click Start. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Template Creation 9
Topic Selection. New Newsletter Template The Topic Selection tab allows you to select specific topics for the template from the list of available topics. Select topics for your newsletter template from the list of available topics. Click Next to move to the Design tab, which will keep your changes as long as you remain within the new template workflow. Click Save Changes to save your progress if you wish to exit the new template workflow. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Template Creation 10
Design. New Newsletter Template The non-html design view enables you to design templates in a visual format without requiring any HTML coding. Real time previews can be seen in the preview pane to the right. Select between the non-html and the HTML view. Non-HTML Template Options Choose to view/modify presentation options or font/color preferences. Presentation Options Select between single column or dual column layouts. Decide whether to include View in Browser link, helpful to readers using mobile devices. Select a logo from the uploaded images. Select size and color of LexisNexis logo. Specify inclusion/location of Table of Contents. Determine whether to truncate headline, and if so, specify headline length. Select whether to include an abstract (and specify its length), search hits, or neither. Decide if editor s article comments should be included and highlighted. Click Previous to move to the Topic Selection tab, or Next to the Recipients tab; your changes will be kept as long as you remain within the new template workflow. Click Save Changes to save your progress if you wish to exit the new template workflow. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Template Creation 11
Design. New Newsletter Template Non-HTML template design options continued. Fonts/Colors Preferences Select font type Select font color, font size, and font style for each text element of the newsletter template. Select color for alternating rows. Click Previous to move to the Topic Selection tab, or Next to the Recipients tab; your changes will be kept as long as you remain within the new template workflow. Click Save Changes to save your progress if you wish to exit the new template workflow. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Template Creation 12
Design. New Newsletter Template The HTML design view allows you to enter valid HTML for your headers and footers. Select between the non-html and the HTML view. HTML Template Options Select between single column or dual column layouts. Specify inclusion/location of Table of Contents. Add HTML header and/or footer, or opt to use defaults from Email display settings. Click Previous to move to the Topic Selection tab, or Next to the Recipients tab; your changes will be kept as long as you remain within the new template workflow. Click Save Changes to save your progress if you wish to exit the new template workflow. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Template Creation 13
Recipients. New Newsletter Template Select newsletter subscribers on the recipients tab. Enter your name in the From field to show recipients who sent the newsletter. The From field can also be customized on a per issue basis. Enter your email address in the Reply to field to enable recipients to send you feedback. The Reply-to field can also be customized on a per issue basis. Enter a default email subject. Email subjects can also be customized on a per issue basis. If desired, filter list of recipients by first letter of last name to easily locate specific names. Select default recipients to receive the newsletter. Recipients can also be customized on a per issue basis. Selections on each page will be saved if you choose to navigate between pages of subscribers. Listing of potential recipients derived from Subscribed Users sub-tab beneath Administration. Click Previous to move to the Design tab; your changes will be kept as long as you remain within the new template workflow. Click Save Changes to save your newsletter template. Click Newsletter Home to return to the start page, where you can begin sending newsletter issues, or initiate other workflows. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Template Creation 14
Newsletter Templates. Other Workflows 15
Edit. Newsletter Template Should you need to make changes to the topics, design, or recipients originally selected for your newsletter template, follow the Edit Newsletter Template workflow to modify your choices. Select radio button to the left of Edit Newsletter Template. Select the existing template you wish to modify. Clicking Start will return you to the template workflow Topic Selection, Design, Recipients with your original selections displayed. You may make modifications and re-save your template parameters. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Edit Template 16
Delete. Newsletter Template Should you no longer need a saved template, follow the Delete Newsletter workflow to remove it from the system. Select radio button to the left of Delete Newsletter. Select the template you wish to delete. Click Start. The Delete Newsletter Template pop-up will appear. Click OK to delete the selected newsletter template along with any saved drafts associated with the template. Click Cancel to discontinue the deletion process. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Delete Template 17
Newsletter Issues. Creation Process 18
Start. New Newsletter Issue LexisNexis Publisher uses the information defined in the newsletter template to build each newsletter issue. A newsletter issue is a single iteration of a newsletter delivery, much like an issue of a magazine or newspaper. Select radio button to the left of New Newsletter Issue. Select the template from which you will create your newsletter issue. Click Start. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Issue Creation 19
Article Selection. New Newsletter Issue The topics for the template are loaded in the left pane with published articles for each topic listed in the right pane. Click the name of the topic from which you wish to select articles. Select all on the current page or just specific articles to include in your newsletter issue. Click the headline to view full text in a separate window. Toggle between the full list of published documents and those selected for the issue. Toggle options: Show Selected/Show All. Click arrows to navigate to the next group of documents (e.g. 11-20). Select a document range from the drop-down and click Go to navigate to a specific set of articles. Click Next to move to the Layout tab, which will keep your changes as long as you remain within the new issue workflow. Click Save Changes to save your progress if you wish to exit the new issue workflow. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Issue Creation 20
Layout. New Newsletter Issue The Layout page enables you to use drag-and-drop technology to precisely place topics and articles within a newsletter issue for optimal presentation and impact. Click the drag and drop indicator ( ) to the left of a topic name to move the topic to another location within the issue. Click the drag and drop indicator ( ) to the left of a headline to move the article to another location within the topic framework. Click Previous to move to the Article Selection tab, or Next to the Recipients tab; your changes will be kept as long as you remain within the new issue workflow. Click Save Changes to save your progress if you wish to exit the new issue workflow. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Issue Creation 21
Recipients. New Newsletter Issue Recipients assigned to the newsletter template will be selected by default within the newsletter issue workflow. Additional subscribers can be added per issue and default subscribers can be deselected. Enter your name in the From field to show recipients who sent the newsletter. Enter your email address in the Reply to field to enable recipients to send you feedback. Enter email subject if different from template default. If desired, filter list of recipients by first letter of last name to easily locate specific names. Select/deselect recipients to receive the newsletter. Selections on each page will be saved if you choose to navigate between pages of subscribers. Listing of potential recipients derived from Subscribed Users sub-tab beneath Administration. Click Previous to move to the Layout tab, or Next to the Notes tab; your changes will be kept as long as you remain within the new issue workflow. Click Save Changes to save your progress if you wish to exit the new issue workflow. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Issue Creation 22
Notes. New Newsletter Issue If you would like to add a note to the top of your newsletter delivery, you may do so on the Notes tab. Enter notes within the text box. Notes will appear at the top of your newsletter, beneath the header. If a non-html template was used, then font type, color, size and styling (bold, italics, underline) will be controlled by the font/color preferences selected. HTML coding is also valid in the text box, though not required. If you wish to add additional styling, such as paragraph breaks, or want to insert a URL-based image, you may use standard HTML tags. You may include links in the text box as long as the full path is defined (http://...). Click Previous to move to the Recipients tab, or Next to the Preview/Send tab; your changes will be kept as long as you remain within the new issue workflow. Click Save Changes to save your progress if you wish to exit the new issue workflow. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Issue Creation 23
Preview/Send. New Newsletter Issue The Preview/Send tab allows you to view the newsletter issue as it would appear to the email recipient; workflow navigation enables access to previous screens if changes are needed prior to sending. Click Previous to move to the Notes tab; your changes will be kept as long as you remain within the new issue workflow. If you have not already done so, you must click Save Changes prior to sending your newsletter issue. If you choose not to send the issue right away it will be stored as a draft. The Send button will become active (turn red) once changes are saved. Click Send to launch your issue to all designated recipients. A pop-up will ask you to confirm your intent to send your issue. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Issue Creation 24
Newsletter Issues. Other Workflows 25
Resend. Newsletter Issue Saved issues are stored for thirty days so that they can be resent to recipients that missed the original delivery or accidentally deleted the email. Select radio button to the left of Resend Newsletter Issue. Select the template associated with the issue you wish to resend. Select the issue to resend. Issues are identified by the template name, followed by the date and time of the last save. Clicking Start will return you to the recipients tab within the issue workflow. No recipients will be selected since generally you will only be resending to select individuals who did not receive the original delivery. Select recipients and proceed to the Preview/Send tab to launch the email. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Resend Issue 26
Drafts. Newsletter Issue Drafts are newsletter issues you have saved, but have not yet sent. Drafts enable you to begin work on an issue, leave the workflow to perform other tasks, and return to complete the delivery. Select radio button to the left of Drafts. Select the draft you wish to enter. Drafts are identified by the template name, followed by the date and time the draft was last saved. Drafts will be kept until sent, or until the associated template is deleted. Clicking Start will return you to the issue workflow Article Selection, Layout, Recipients, Notes, Preview/Send with your saved selections displayed. You may make modifications and send the newsletter issue, or resave it to continue working later. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Drafts 27
Newsletter Delivery. Best Practices 28
Best Practices. Newsletter Delivery To present a superior user experience follow these best practices for newsletter delivery: Change the From display and Reply to address to point to someone within your organization. If the reader can instantly see that the newsletter came from within the organization they won t mistake your email for spam. Keep the design of your newsletter simple. Don t go overboard with an overly elaborate logo or use a multitude of font styles and colors all at once. Users respond best to simplicity. Write a good Subject line for your newsletter issue to immediately grab users attention and encourage them to read, rather than file or delete, your newsletter. Keep it brief to enable easy scanning. Most users skim headlines to get an overview, rather than reading thoroughly. Select only the most relevant articles Include abstracts, but control their length Arrange articles in priority order Omit the table of contents if you aren t including many topics Don t send too often. Research shows that the most frequent user complaint concerning newsletters, is that they arrive too often. A predictable publication frequency that s not too aggressive is best. Keep your content fresh and relevant. Create new topics/newsletters regularly to correspond to the latest issues facing your organization to keep people engaged. Consider polling your audience about what they d like to see and how often. LexisNexis Publisher / Newsletter Feature / Best Practices 29
Need help? Contact a LexisNexis Publisher customer service specialist at 1-877-810-5325 30